Thorndike, Capt. John, House
Also known as: Thorndike--Rea House
Why it's listed
Located at 184 Hale Street in Beverly, this two-and-a-half story, five-bay house has a central chimney and clapboard walls. A carved date of 1702 on a front story post marks the original single-cell house, which had an integral lean-to. A second cell was added to the left of the chimney late in the First Period, and a separate lean-to was later attached to it. In the nineteenth or twentieth century the rear roof was raised with a shed dormer and a small gabled ell was added. Inside, the two phases show different frame decoration: bevel chamfers with taper stops in the first phase and quirk-beaded framing in the second. Attic rafters and tie beams preserve evidence of the original lean-to form, which survives rarely. After 1760 the house was associated with Captain Joseph Rea, a militia captain and Continental army officer who took part in the 1776 attack on Trenton. The house was listed for its architectural integrity and its potential to yield information.
Significance in brief: The house retains integrity of location, design, materials and workmanship in its two surviving late First Period frame phases (Criterion C). Evidence of an original single-cell house with an integral lean-to may provide information on a rarely surviving early house form (Criterion D). The two phases show consecutive late First Period frame decoration.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90000195, listed March 9, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 184 Hale St., Beverly |
|---|---|
| County | Essex County |
| Listed | March 9, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000195 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | First Period |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition recorded as good; present use is residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.58034, -70.83927 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000195.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5036446
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.